Eye of the Moon
by Greenteaa
Summary: It has been two months since Hiccup defeated the Red Death and became the hero of Berk. Now a new evil threatens the very existence of the Vikings from Berk and their new dragon friends. Prepare yourself for a tale of adventure, love, betrayal and mystery
1. Prolouge: Elements

**Alright everyone here we go with another How to Train Your Dragon fanfic! I love this movie and loved a lot of the fanfics that were posted on the site and decided to write my own. Hopefully you guys will find it interesting! As i reminder I do not own any of the characters in this fanfic that were made by the author of How to Train Your Dragon****, Cressida Cowell****, or any of the characters that were portrayed in the movie. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

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><p><em>Water fire air and ice<br>Earth, lighting,  
>Poison, Keen eye and sharpest spike.<br>For this power I will sacrifice  
>the blood of dragons, to gain eternal life.<em>

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><p>Too long he waited; the sheets became uncomfortably hot in the summer night. He rolled onto his side and looked out the tiny wooden window. The dark night stared silently back at him as his eyes searched for something in the blackness. He exhaled deeply as he rolled back over gazing into his small dimly lit room. His leg hurt, even though it wasn't all there, it hurt. It had been a little over two months since he had lost his leg in the fight with the red death and become the hero of Berk. He sat up in bed and leaned back. His mind drifted lazily off into thought, thoughts of his dad, and his new friends. His new friends... Astrid. He sighed, exasperated, he still hadn't asked Astrid on the date she deserved. Even though they hadn't put a title on it he felt like he didn't want the extra attention, well he didn't want more attention than he already had. Hiccup rolled over again "enough thinking" he thought, it was late, and tomorrow he'd ask she was coming over anyways<p>

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><p><strong>Alright guys short beginning, just a little intro. I will be updating further probably tomorrow with the first chapter and am aiming for weekly releases of chapters. Feel free to comment or send me a PM with your thoughts!<br>**

**~GreenTeaa**


	2. Chapter 1: Summer Love

**Alright, the story officially begins! I've released chapter 1 and 2 together so it'll give a bit of reading material! I'm aiming to have 3 out by Thursday at the latest!**

**Quick disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the movie or book How to Train your Dragon! Those are the property of the author of the book and directors of the movie. How ever you will know which characters were not in either I'm sure and I'll make note of these characters later in the story! Enjoy!**

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><p>1: Summer Love<p>

Blinking groggily as the sun filtered through her woven curtains Astrid slowly awoke. She yawned as she stretched, her thoughts wandered as she sleepily sat up. One month she thought, one month since her young boyfriend Hiccup, her boyfriend? Could she even call what they had a relationship between a boyfriend and girlfriend? A part of her wanted to say yes oh god yes that she was dating Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, but the other part of her didn't want all the attention that would come with dating the scrawny son of the Viking chief and also the local hero of Berk. She smiled to herself at the thought, but again she didn't want THAT much attention. Although she was used to the attention of many, she didn't know how she'd handle the attention that would come with Hiccup. As Astrid slowly got out of her warm soft bed the room suddenly went dark. Her heart dropped a little as she turned; she grabbed the knife that was sitting on the counter next to her night stand. Weapon at the ready Astrid pulled back the rough woven curtains. Astrid let out her breath as she looked put the window, dropping her knife she leaned over her bed. Even though Hiccup had shown them the true nature of dragons, Astrid still got a little antsy when a shadow blocked light from her room. Astrid smiled at the blue Nadder that greeted her at her bed room window. "Hey Lux" Astrid said smiling.  
>The Nadder seemed to smile back as it purred. Astrid reached out and started to pet her Nadder gently on the head.<br>Astrid felt a warm feeling within her, nit from the sun she smiled "today will be a good day" she though excitedly. She ran outside, hopped onto Lux and flew off towards Hiccups house.

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><p>Hiccups eyes snapped open, the warm sun streamed through his small window lighting the small room. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up and slid his legs off the edge of his small bed. The boy looked down at his legs, no matter how many times he saw it, hiccup felt he'd never really be totally used to his leg being gone. His fingers crept over the bottom part of his stump. The pain was still there, but nowhere near as bad as it had been the first couple weeks. Hiccup had now gotten a little more accustomed to walking with his custom prosthetic he still had a little trouble getting around. Now different from the original one Gobber had designed, Hiccup could move around with relative ease due to his design. He had added a wider foot pad, about as wide as the average foot, maybe a little smaller, a second spring to increase shock absorption, and he had added a special feature, a hidden blade that Hiccup could activate by putting pressure on his heel. He was quite proud with his invention and it showed when he was asked about it. Hiccup grabbed his prosthetic strapping it firmly into place with leather straps. The top of the prosthetic that contacted his stump was lined with thick white fur, mostly to keep irritation at a minimum but served the double purpose as a liner to keep his leg warm in the harsh climate of Berk. Hiccup stood up testing his weight even though he knew the prosthetic would hold. As he left his room he thought of ways to ask Astrid on a date. Hiccup was a thinker, and a damn good one, but for all his good thoughts he sometimes lacked the ability to take action. He was worried he would choke and not be able to ask. As Hiccup reached the bottom of the stairs he heard a knock at the door. "Oh man" he thought nervously "here she comes". Hiccup advanced towards the door as fast as his legs would allow, he turned the handle and opened the door slowly.<br>He looked up at Astrid, who was slightly taller than him, he inhaled sharply. She was stunning. Her golden blonde hair lay perfectly as it usually did, across her forehead in the front and put into a tight weave in the back. Her eyes sparkled and seemed to dance in the morning sun light. Her smile so pure and flawless split her perfect lips. Hiccup smiled back awkwardly. "Hey Astrid" he said shakily running his hand through his mess of brown hair. "Hi Hiccup" Astrid replied smiling all the while.

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><p><strong>So a little cheesy... maybe a little slow. First couple chapters usually are... build up and such ;) Anyways it would be much appreciated if you left a review for me! Next up... well... obviously chapter 2!<strong>

**~GreenTeaa**


	3. Chapter 2: All the Small Things

**Okay so as promised one and two together! No need for introductions!**

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><p>2: All the Small Things<p>

As they greeted each other Astrid stepped forward and hugged Hiccup. Hiccup hugged her back awkwardly. They were close, closer than Hiccup thought the two youths had ever been. He could feel her heart beat and nervously wondered if she could feel his pumping fast as they held their embrace. Astrid was first to pull herself away. Hiccups arms trailed along with her body as she backed up.  
>"So" Astrid said brushing her hair over "what do you want to do today Hiccup?"<br>"Uh hm uhh you know I was.. You know uhhh" Hiccup stuttered "ask you uhh ask you to... Willyougoonadatewithme" his words came out so fast they seemed to link together. Hiccups face turned a bright red as he clasped his hands behind his back.  
>"Oh Hiccup.. Of course! I'd love to!" Astrid replied excitedly.<br>"Ohhh yes! Okay yes. Alright yes!" Hiccup laughed, joy filled his body and he felt like cheering, but he held off since Astrid was already looking at him incredulously. Astrid's look changed to a soft smile as she asked teasingly  
>"So hero man, where are you going to take me?"<br>Hiccups face flushed red again  
>"Uhh well.. You know.. Just give me a little bit" he replied raising his eyes upwards.<br>"Meet me tonight an hour before sunset, back here" Hiccup said softly  
>"okay should I bring anything?" Astrid inquired<br>"just bring you and Lux!" Hiccup answered smiling. Astrid couldn't help but smile back, the Viking boy she had come to care for  
>in the past month had so much more to him than everyone had originally thought. Well, all it took was him to lose a leg for the village of Berk to see part of him that was Viking material. As she waved to Hiccup standing awkwardly on his front step she smiled to herself. The idea of them dating was wonderful. That she, Astrid was going to be the one to learn about Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III more than any other person on the island of Berk. Well everyone except maybe Toothless, Hiccups best friend, and the only Night Fury any Viking owned.<p>

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><p>"Toothless!" Hiccup called "Where are you bud?"<br>Hiccups dragon had wandered off again. Hiccup sighed, he was annoyed. It wasn't like the Night Fury couldn't handle himself, but since their fight with the red death Toothless had become protective, maybe overly protective, of Hiccup and naturally Hiccup felt protective of his dragon. "Oh Toothless, where are you tooth... Oof!" Hiccups sentence was cut short as Toothless pounced on him from behind. Hiccup rolled over smiling. The dragon greeted his smile by licking Hiccups face. Hiccup squirmed underneath the massive dragon but he was happy to see Toothless as much as Toothless was happy to see him.  
>"Hey bud we've got to get some stuff ready" Hiccup said "tonight's the big night!"<br>The Night Fury suggested he understood as he got off Hiccup and turned so the boy could climb onto his back. Hiccup did just that and they took off towards Hiccups home. Once they landed in front of the large wooden structure Hiccup hopped off Toothless and began gathering stuff for his night with Astrid. He threw some food blankets and torch materials into a leather sack and tied it off to Toothless' saddle. Hiccup grinned mischievously as he formed an idea for the night out with Astrid. Hiccup ran to his room and grabbed some paper. He scrawled some words onto the sheet ran back downstairs and attached it to the outside of the door. "Let's go bud!" Hiccup called as he ran towards Toothless. Toothless huffed as if to say yes then turned as Hiccup got into the saddle. They then flew off towards the sea.

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><p>Astrid approached Hiccups large house on the back of her blue Nadder, Lux. As she landed she became aware no one was home. She knew Stoick the chief had been gone on a hunting excursion and left Gobber in charge while he was away. But no Hiccup either? That was weird. Especially since he had asked to meet her tonight at the large home near the edge of Berk. She approached the door warily, as she did she saw a small piece of paper pinned to the door. Her heart skipped a little. As she neared the door she saw Hiccups familiar hand writing and her beating heart slowed it's pace. Astrid reached out and grabbed the note. In black ink was scrawled "Astrid meet me at the Cliffs of First Flight"<br>Astrid smiled excitedly. She knew the place well; it was where every Viking who wished to fly took their first leap of faith and flew from a high cliff though beautiful rock formations. Although off limit at night due to the fact most of the Vikings knew how treacherous the cliffs could become after the sun set. Fog rolled through all of Berk during the summer nights and this made flying close to impossible. But if anyone could navigate them it was Hiccup and her. Hiccup's keen flying sense and Lux her Nadder had probably the keenest eye of any of the dragons in Berk. Astrid found herself thinking more of the boy than getting to where she was going as she flew Lux towards where she was to meet Hiccup.


	4. Chapter 3: Sunset Glow

**Okay so I'm aware the first couple chapters are a little short, I have been writing on my iPhone so it's sometimes a little hard to judge the length. I'll be working on making the chapters longer as the story progresses! Anyways looking forward to a little HiccupxAstrid sappy goodness? I know I am!**

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><p>3: Sunset Glow<p>

Astrid arrived on the high cliffs just as the sun had started to set. She scanned the area looking for her young companion. She looked left then right but no sight of him. As she turned back to the left she heard from behind her

"Astrid! Over here" Hiccups familiar voice rang out from the tree line. She hurried over to the boy tugging Lux along with her. Hiccup smiled shyly as she approached. When she got within reach she punched his arm. "That's for not telling me the full plan you dork"

Hiccup rubbed his arm and Toothless rolled his eyes at the exchange, Lux made a purring sound as Astrid drew back closer to her Nadder.

"Thanks" said Hiccup sarcastically "But moving forward, I'm sorry I didn't fill you in properly but I wanted this to be really special!"

"Okay okay" Astrid replied smiling "What's the big plan Hiccup"

"Well, follow me and I'll show you" Hiccup returned her smile without a hint of shyness or awkwardness. She liked that smile on him, it looked nice. As Hiccup hopped onto Toothless Astrid hopped back onto Lux.

"Stay close" Hiccup said grinning

Astrid nodded to show she understood and they took off. Hiccup loved flying and especially at sun down, the clouds were pink and a light breeze swirled around him as they flew over the sea. He wondered if Astrid would even like what he had planned.  
>Oh of course she would he said to himself.<br>Up ahead Hiccup saw what he was looking for, a high rock formation that stuck out of the water and went straight up. The top was flat and smooth and from the top of the rock Berk was visible to the left and to the right was a thickly forested hillside.

"Perfect" he thought.

He signaled Astrid to land on the rock formation and they descended to the rocky platform. Toothless landed with a solid thump, Lux made a similar sound as her and Astrid landed close behind Hiccup and Toothless. Hiccup slid of Toothless' back and hobbled to Astrid's side and held out a hand to help her off the Nadder. She grinned happily as Hiccup offered her his hand. It didn't matter who it was Hiccup was always kind, but when it came to her he made every attempt to make sure she was well cared for.

"If it came down to it Hiccup would go as far as putting her wellbeing before his own" she thought.

As Hiccup helped Astrid off Lux he turned to Toothless and nodded. The Night Fury turned so Hiccup could undo the packs attached to the saddle. Hiccup released the leather sacks and Toothless turned around once more.

"Alright bud" Hiccup whispered "You take Lux and you two go down a little ways"

And by down a little ways he meant down, down to the next rock platform that was some 10 feet below. Hiccup hadn't exactly figured out how to get back to his dragon yet but he would. He just wanted his time with Astrid to be perfect. No distractions, nothing. Just her and him and the beautiful sky line to themselves. Toothless dropped and Lux followed, Astrid looked at Hiccup curiously as he opened the packs and pulled out the supplies he brought. Hiccup laid two thick blankets out onto the cool rocky platform; he brought out some logs, some flint and steel, and finally some fish. He smiled at Astrid timidly as he set up the fire and blankets. Astrid felt like the luckiest girl in the world to be here with Hiccup, her soon to be boyfriend she felt, just relaxing and enjoying each others company.

"Well that does it" Hiccup stated breaking the silence. Astrid looked down at Hiccup who was lying on the blankets he had placed. The fire was crackling and he set the fish to cooking.

"Oh Hiccup! It's perfect!" Astrid exclaimed. "Well... Uh... I'm glad!" Hiccup replied a little shakily. Astrid sat down beside Hiccup and put her head onto his shoulder. From her peripherals she noticed the young man turn a little red as she leaned on him but she said nothing.

"So..." he said

"So?" she replied teasingly

"So... Umm... I wanted to ask you Astrid... Will you... Uh... Will you be my girlfriend?"

"I'd love to Hiccup! There's nothing I'd like better!" she answered blushing a little.

At her answer Astrid saw Hiccups smile grow bigger.

"You know" he said softly "I've been waiting like... two years to ask you that, and for all the thinking I did, and all my worrying, I finally asked"

"I'm happy you did" Astrid sweetly replied "And I'm so lucky to have such a sweet thoughtful guy to be my boyfriend!"

"Well... You know you're only like... The prettiest girl in all of Berk, I'm pretty lucky to have you"

Hiccup said as his faced flushed with color. The couple watched the sun set as they ate and talked. They laughed, and smiled, held hands, and as their eyes met Hiccup leaned forward tentatively. His lips became closer to Astrid's and hers to his. Their eyes closed as their lips met. The kiss was intoxicating; every second drew on like a year, every minute a their lips parted Astrid smiled and softly said

"That's for everything else"

Hiccup smiled back as he thought back to their first kiss in the days that had followed his heroic victory over the Red Death. Everything seemed so perfect, what could possibly happen to them that would make things feel so terribly wrong ever again? As their perfect moment ended Hiccup noticed the darkening sky.

"Well we should head back?" Hiccup said reluctantly "Dad comes back tomorrow and I have to clean the house a little."

"Do we have to?" Astrid said pouting playfully as she pushed her body into Hiccups. He felt the heat rising through him as she pushed into him.

"She has an amazing body" he thought.

He stopped himself short of thinking more as he said "Yeah unfortunately... I don't want to either but you know my dad..."

"Alright..." Astrid said pulling away as slowly as possible "Let's go."

As they figured a way down to the Dragons Hiccup looked into the setting sun, the dark that crept along the horizon made his stomach drop his head felt numb and block like. The strange feeling didn't subside until they were well on their way back towards Berk and the setting sun was to his back.

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><p><strong>Aren't they just so good together? Well I think so! Let me know what you guys think ;) maybe in a review or even just a comment! Reviews are much appreciated guys! <strong>

**~GreenTeaa**


	5. Chapter 4: Of Black Waters

**Alrighty then, another new chapter! Hope you guys enjoy as always!**

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><p>4: Of Black Waters<p>

"Stop! Stop!" he cried "Take me! Not her! Anyone but her! Please! No stop please!"

Hiccup awoke with a start. His eyes snapped open sweat poured from his forehead. He felt sick and weak as he sat up. A dream he told himself, only a dream. Hiccup lay back down and closed his eyes; his last thought was of Astrid as he drifted off.

He was in a dark dank smelling room, no not a room a cave. The sound of water falling reached his ears; it splashed against the rock floor somewhere a little ways off. Water dripped from the ceiling and he felt the drops landing on his head. The stalactites on the ceiling looked like teeth in a gaping mouth around the opening in front of him, the water dripped like saliva from the mouth. He shivered. To his right was a man, a man with long dark hair and strange armor. The armor was painted brown, but where the paint had faded away Hiccup saw shiny metal. The armor was intricately made; fine details ran their way all around the armor. The shoulders looked like dragon heads, in the front of the torso was carved beautiful patterns that wound around the whole chest plate. The armor looked heavy but looked maneuverable. The man moved forward towards the opening ahead of them. He tried to say something to the strange man but found himself unable to speak. The man moved like a ghost, like he was gliding or floating, he tried to follow the man but some unseen force held him back.

"Hiccup" a voice called softly he looked around but saw no one "Hiccup" the voice said again. He ignored it this time looking into the strange opening where the man had disappeared, almost like he had been swallowed whole. "Hiccup!" the voice called stronger this time, he tried to ignore it. "HICCUP!"

Hiccup sat straight up and looked around, it was bright and he was still in bed. His father stood to his right; he looked cramped in the tiny room due to his large size. His thick red beard looked frazzled even more than usual. His large eyes looked at Hiccup lovingly, Hiccup couldn't help but smile at his father.

"Thor's hammer you're a heavy sleeper!" Stoick grinned as Hiccup looked blankly at him.  
>"Get up son, the day is young and we have much to talk about!"<p>

Hiccup wondered what his father could possibly want to talk to him about now. Even though their relationship had gotten progressively better since his heroic victory over the Red Death, Hiccup was still slightly uncomfortable talking with the large Viking who was his father. Hiccup didn't really want to go talk with his father; he had worked up a new design for Toothless' tail fin and wanted to start working on it. Something in Hiccups face must have given him away because Stoick gave him a look suggesting he best rethink what he was about to say.

"Alright, alright" Hiccup said begrudgingly. He shifted his weight in bed and spun to hang his leg off his bed.

"Good" Stoick said gruffly "I'll um... See you downstairs"

"Okay dad" Hiccup replied with a tone of annoyance. Stoick didn't notice or pretended not to because he left the room without another word. Hiccup strapped on his prosthetic as he left his bedroom and hobbled towards the stairs. As promised Stoick was waiting downstairs. What Hiccup saw as he got to the main floor shocked him. Three more Vikings stood to the right of Stoick, Hiccup recognized Gobber of course but the other two were unfamiliar. One of the two strangers wore an eye patch and what it didn't cover showed the ends of a large scar the clearly ran over his eye, or lack thereof. He was a large man and wore heavy clothing for the time of year, which Hiccup found strange because it was decently warm for Berk, his helmet was metal and had large horns, larger than even the horns on Stoick's helm. It didn't appear like the man had any hair, shaved or because of age Hiccup was unsure. His lone eye was a lackluster gray that suited him well Hiccup thought. The second man was smaller and dressed far more appropriately for the weather, the man wore no helmet and his thick brown hair reached to his shoulders. His arms were covered in countless tattoos which were in some places were separated by large scars. His eyes were gray green and looked free of any malice or hate, but also looked fearless. He smiled warmly as his gaze met Hiccups. Hiccup felt less wary as he approached the four men.

"Hiccup, these are Scrullnet and Thrandle" Hiccup shook their hands as his father made introductions. Thrandle seemed less intimidating than Scrullnet due to his smaller size, and maybe the fact he had both eyes. Hiccup inspected the two men as they shook hands. Clearly both had been through battles, probably with dragons he thought unhappily. Hiccup and his friends knew very well that dragons were not a threat now; however he wasn't so sure these men shared their views on the dragons. He was positive not even Stoick was totally sold on the idea either. Hiccup knew as they shook hands the two men sized him up as well, not much to size up, but all the same he felt they were.

"Now to the matter at hand" Stoick said loudly "Hiccup you are here because as the future chief of this clan you must be aware of current events"

Scrullnets eye narrowed as Stoick spoke and Hiccup gulped as the man's lone eye looked into Hiccups eyes.

"The reason Scrullnet and Thrandle are here is because we have a strange issue on our hands" Stoick stared "As you know we were hunting this past week about a day's sail away from Berk, on our return trip we found Scrullnet and Thrandle out on the open waters on a half burnt ship" Hiccups eyes widened as his father spoke. This time Scrullnet spoke in a low rough voice "They came fast and they hit hard. I'm not sure exactly what happened but as I watched from our fishing boat strange men on a large vessel came towards our sea dock village". Hiccup thought of Íslenka the fishing village that was south of Berk. The small village of Íslenka was comprised of large docks that the villagers built their houses on. It was most famous for their rare water dragons, Jormungands. Hiccup has never seen one of the Jormungand dragons before; they were long and serpent like usually large and had no ears, small eyes and large nostrils. The one feature that distinguished them from any other water dragon was their large dorsal fin that spanned most of the dragons back and their uncanny ability to generate water if they were ever beached.

Hiccup was brought back to reality when he heard Scrullnet say

"The ship fired strange objects that exploded on impact" Hiccup wondered what the objects were. "Our village was burning in no time; we got what people we could and sailed off" Scrullnet finished solemnly.

"We were lucky that the one shot they fired towards us just grazed the boat!" Thrandle exclaimed his eyes widening.

"Well you and your people can stay as long as you like" Stoick said empathetically.

Gobber nodded in agreement and Hiccup smiled at the two men suggesting he Gobber, Thrandle, and Scrullnet left Stoick turned to Hiccup.

"What do you think about letting Thrandle's daughter join Dragon Training?" Stoick inquired.

"Is she our age dad?" Hiccup questioned. Stoick nodded and turned away from Hiccup.

Hiccup sighed "Alright she's not far behind the others anyways, they're still a couple days off of going to the Cliffs!" Hiccup remarked.

"Good" the Viking chief replied "I'm glad Hiccup that you are as caring for others as your mother" Stoick said quietly as he left the house closing the door behind him.

Hiccup sat on the hard wooden bench on the lower level of house for some time. He mulled the situation over in his head as he stood up.

"A new trainee?" The last thing he needed was more trouble… Snotlout and the twins gave him enough trouble as it was. He didn't know if he could handle another person.

"No I have to do this" he told himself "Even if I don't like having to do it… It's for dad."

Hiccup grabbed his gear from the front cabinet and left the house and headed towards the training arena.

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><p><strong>How exciting! New characters! So Scrullnet and Thrandle are introduced as vikings from Íslenka! Whats going to happen in Dragon Training? I know I can't wait to find out :P And like always guys please leave reviews or commnets! Let me know what you guys think and if you have any suggestions on how I can improve the story at all! Thanks again for reading!<strong>

**~GreenTeaa  
><strong>


	6. Chapter 5: Dragon Training, Part 1

**Hey guys were back with more Eye of the Moon! Hopefully you're enjoying it so far! I'd love to see your guys' opinions on the story so please leave a review, even if it is a brief one liner :P Well hopefully you enjoy this new chapter! I will be starting weekly releases due to school work and other commitments but I will still be putting time into updating the story.  
><strong>

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><p>5: Dragon Training, Part 1<p>

As Hiccup neared the arena he caught site of a person standing alone just outside of it. He wondered if it was one his friends or if it was Thrandle's daughter. His heart pace increased as he thought of meeting the girl. As he grew closer still it became clear it wasn't one of his friends and was indeed the daughter of Thrandle.

"Hey" she said as Hiccup reached the arena "Are you Hiccup?"

Hiccup grinned awkwardly; he was never good with introductions. Especially with girls.

"Uh yeah, hi, I'm Hiccup, yup, Hiccup" he fumbled with his words as he spoke "What's uh, what's your name?"

The girl smiled as he stuttered through his sentence. Hiccup looked her up and down, she was pretty "not as pretty of Astrid of course" he said to himself, but pretty. Her long dark red hair had a dull shine to it as the sun came down over top of her. Her eyes were a beautiful greyish green like her fathers, they looked softly back at him but Hiccup saw a glint of something else. He wasn't sure what it was but there was something else to the girl. Her clothes were fancy, made of fine cloth and embroidered with silver patterns. She wore a low cut top, a bit more revealing than most girls around Berk wore… "okay maybe a lot more" he thought. She wore a short frilled skirt with long dark stockings underneath and high fur boots much like the ones most of the Vikings in Berk wore. Hiccup hadn't noticed his mouth come slightly open as he took in her beauty. She smiled obviously aware of what he was doing but she said nothing. He kicked himself for allowing such a display to this new girl.

"Well nice to meet you Hiccup" she replied breaking what seemed to be a long silence "I'm Ketzya"

Oh gods her name was beautiful too Hiccup thought. Such a girl must have had all the boys in her village chasing after her. As this last thought crossed his mind he thought of Astrid, much like the girl standing in front of him he thought, Astrid had at a time before being with Hiccup had most of the young boys chasing after her mouths agape at her beauty and stunning battle abilities. Again he kicked himself for even thinking of this girl in such a way.

"Uh yeah, nice… to uh, nice to meet you too" he replied slowly

They stood there in awkward silence. The awkwardness clearly showed in Hiccups demeanor, he rubbed the back of his head as he stood there. If Ketzya was uncomfortable she didn't show any signs of feeling that way. Hiccup opened his mouth to say something but closed it before he said anything.

"I can't say anything stupid" he thought "I'll just get in trouble."

Just as the silence became unbearable he heard two voices from down the path. They were arguing. Ruffnut and Tuffnut came scrambling up the path, Ruffnut had Tuffnut's helmet in her hand as she teased him.

"Hey dummy lose your helmet?" she jeered sticking out her tongue at him as she ran up the path.

"Give it back you ugly b... uff!" Tuffnut grunted as Ruffnut nailed him with a rock "I need that for training! Come on!"

Ruffnut pushed by Hiccup and ran into the arena, the Viking girl hadn't noticed Ketzya standing slightly to the right of Hiccup. As Tuffnut ran by Hiccup he skidded to a stop.

"Wooooaaah" He said mouth slightly open.

Ketzya smiled clearly not the first time someone had stopped to admire her beauty. She crossed her arms and tilted her head as Tuffnut looked at her in awe.

"Nice to meet you too" Ketzya said mockingly.

Tuffnut closed his mouth and stood up straight. He looked at Hiccup wide eyed before turning back to Ketzya.

"Sorry, just... uh just… never mind" he said quickly "I'm Tuffnut! The world's most deadly warrior." He said a stupid grin crossing his face.

Ketzya didn't look too impressed but made introductions anyways. Ruffnut came back out of the arena and socked Tuffnut in the head with his own helmet.

"Owwww! Ooooh I'm hurt, I'm very much hurt!" Tuffnut yelped dramatically.

"Don't mind this idiot, he gets a little excited around pretty girls" Ruffnut said with a smirk as she pointed her thumb over her shoulder at her brother.

Ketzya laughed "Not a problem, I'm kind of used to it."

Hiccup didn't doubt that. As the three young Vikings talked in front of the arena Hiccup went inside to prepare the day's lesson. He thought to himself, a review of the basics, maybe some basic dragon back combat moves, learning to saddle your dragon, and finally he would have to pair Ketzya up with a dragon of her own. He sighed as he thought about what dragon she would be suited to.

"Gronckle, no too bulky for her, Nadder, nope, most of the Nadders were taken as it was, Zippleback, two heads was almost impossible to manage without a partner, Nightmare, a possibility. Hmm... a nightmare, lots were left and so far only two others were riding them... or attempting to. His father owned the largest of the Nightmares and then there was…"

"Hey Hiccup! You gonna introduce me to the new girl" Snotlout knocked Hiccup in the arm as he entered the arena.

Hiccup looked over Ketzya was still talking to Ruffnut, and Tuffnut was desperately trying to get in on the conversation.

"Yeah, yeah give me a little bit Snot" Hiccup replied curtly turning away from the boy.

"Alright!" Snotlout said loudly grinning.

Hiccup rolled his eyes as he continued thinking of what to do. There was Snotlout the other Nightmare rider, he had not yet mastered his dragon, and Hiccup didn't believe he would anytime soon. Nightmares were tricky business. That habit of theirs, lighting themselves on fire, really made it hard to attempt to train one. They were emotional creatures like most dragons, but when scared, annoyed, or angry, oh you don't want to be on the back of one of those. He wondered if it was a good idea putting Ketzya on a Nightmare. Besides no Nightmare had lit itself on fire while Hiccup was near, or for that matter when most Vikings were around. Snotlout just had the uncanny ability to get the Nightmares going and if Hiccup wasn't around… Odin help whoever was near Snotlout and his Nightmare. It was decided he would let Ketzya ride one of the Nightmares, anyways if it didn't go so well the first day he could always change the dragon for her. He was over thinking things; it was time to start the days training.

"Okay everyone!" He called from within the arena. "Let's get started!"

Everyone entered the large arena where they had previously learned to fight dragons. It had been reworked, mostly by the designs Hiccup had drawn up with some aid from Gobber. There was no longer the metal cage structure over top of the arena and the dragon's pens had be connected and slightly enlarged, at least one of each dragon was within. Most of the Viking youths left their dragons here, with the exception of Astrid and Hiccup due to the nature of their relationship to the dragons.

He looked at his friends in front of him, Snotlout was standing gawking at Ketzya, Ruffnut and Tuffnut making faces at each other as they stood there, where's fish.. Oh there he was. Fishlegs hurried into the arena faltering slightly when he saw Ketzya. Good Ketzya was there. But where was Astrid he thought. Strange that she wouldn't show up to training... Oh well he thought.

"Okay guys" he said rubbing his hands on his pant legs "Now, I know that were missing Astrid but let's get this started"

All the young Vikings nodded and went to the areas where the dragons were kept. Only Ketzya remained in front of Hiccup.

"Uh hey what should I be doing?" she asked politely.

"Oh uh right… uh come with me." Hiccup said with a lopsided grin.

Ketzya followed Hiccup towards the holding area for the dragons. Hiccup entered one of the rooms, he poked his head back out as Ketzya followed.

"Hold up, just wait out here for a sec. Uh please" he ducked his head back into the room before she could reply.

As Hiccup came out a smile started to come across Ketzya's face. The head of the Nightmare came out first breathing slowly as Hiccup lead it towards her. Her heart beat sped up as the dragon came closer. She had never seen a Nightmare this close before, only from the ground and they were always flying. Hiccup smiled at her as he brought the large dragon over to her.

"Alright" Hiccup said "This is your dragon! Name her whatever you want! No one has ridden her or even attempted to before." he guided Ketzya's hand to the Nightmares head, as he moved her hand his heart skipped a little at the touch between the two teens.

As she rested her hand on the Nightmares head she let her heart beat return to normal, the dragon began to make a purring noise. Just as Snotlout's had when he had first met his Nightmare Hiccup thought. He smiled as he looked at the new girl meeting her dragon for the first time. She was no different than the rest of them and he knew at that moment that she would get along with this dragon and they would soon be good friends. Hiccups thoughts were interrupted when Snotlout came shooting out of the pen in which his Nightmare was kept.

"Oh shiiiiiit!" he yelled as he ran out of the cave like entrance "It's on fire again!" he ran towards Hiccup losing his balance a little he pushed Hiccup sideways as he bolted by. All the Vikings in the arena backed up behind Hiccup as the flaming Nightmare jumped from within its home.

"Oh crap" Hiccup said quietly as the dragon looked around.

As the Nightmare walked forward the five in-training dragon riders backed up. As the Nightmare drew closer to them Hiccup moved towards it. The rest of the teens held their breath as Hiccup approached the flaming dragon.

"Calm down" he whispered softly as the dragon narrowed its eyes "It's all right, no need to be upset."

The dragon liked Hiccup and even though it didn't totally understand him, it calmed down. The flames subsided and the dragon crouched low as it stretched out its large body.

"Cool!" Ketzya breathed out as she watched the exchange between Hiccup and the Nightmare. She looked from Hiccup to the large dragon. Her thoughts raced as the boy in front of her calmed the dragon. She wondered if she would be able to handle her own Nightmare.

"My own Nightmare" she thought "He said I could name her anything I wanted... Hmm what should I call you?" Ketzya looked over at her Nightmare who was still near then pen it had come out of. "Flynt" she thought "a simple name, for a complicated creature" she smiled to herself. Ketzya liked the name she had thought of, it described the dragon well due to it's nasty habit of lighting itself on fire. They "y" was her own touch, she often liked putting in a "y" where an "i" should be. It suited her name she felt.

As the excitement died down Hiccup noticed that Toothless had not been waiting at the arena for him like usual. He scanned the area to be sure he hadn't missed the Night Fury. This was strange. No Toothless, and no Astrid. Both seemed odd and Hiccup wondered what was going on that neither of the two would be here during Dragon Training.

* * *

><p>Toothless stared blankly at Astrid. The young Viking girl had come to him early in the morning and had motioned for Toothless to follow. Toothless didn't know what this was about but he knew it was important. Important enough for both him and Astrid to not be a at Dragon Training with Hiccup and the others. Astrid had led Toothless towards the blacksmiths shop at which Hiccup worked at. The shop was warm as the coals were stoked, and the furnaces lit. Even though it was early Gobber was already at work. Toothless gave Astrid his signature grin as the large Night Fury curled up on the floor when Astrid told him to stay. As he watched Astrid from his position on the floor he saw her approach Gobber.<p>

Gobber was standing on the far side of the shop next to a large anvil pounding out some metal. When he saw Astrid Gobber straightened up, plucked something from his stone tooth and unscrewed the clamps that were attached to his utility hand. He smiled at the girl as she approached.

"Now what can I do for ye Astrid?" he asked warmly.

"Remember the copy of those plans I gave you last week?" she replied "Are you finished with them?"

"Oh yes, the plans, well my dear not only am I finished with them, I've finished the whole mechanism!" he said his face lighting up as he did so.

"Wonderful!" Astrid said delightedly "Can I see it?"

"Well of course ye can!"

Gobber turned around and walked into another part of the blacksmiths shop. Astrid took in her surroundings while she waited. The heat was stifling and the smell was unpleasant. Swords, axes, knives, hammers, and an array of other weapons cluttered the small building, hanging from walls piled on the floor and sitting in barrels. Astrid wondered how Hiccup could work in such a place. She looked back to the door where Gobber had disappeared into just as he came out. In his good hand was a metal device covered in black leather. It was the new design Hiccup had worked up for Toothless' tail fin. Astrid had known that Hiccup wouldn't have a lot of time in the coming weeks to work on it because of Dragon Training so she had asked Gobber and he had delivered perfectly. The new design was a little bit smaller than the original brown one but slightly bigger than the red fin Gobber had crafted after Hiccups heroic flight. The new black material had instead of a skull printed onto it the picture of a dragon painted in white. In the designs Hiccup had called for a more durable material and had suggested leather to be used instead of fabric. He had included in the plan an idea for water proofing which required melting scales of a dragon at extremely high heat. This use of the scales would also allow for a fire resistant covering on the already much stronger leather which would help in dangerous situations. Astrid could tell Hiccup had spent a large amount of time on the project because it had taken even Gobber a little over a week to make it.

"Yup this was a tough one alright" Gobber confirmed as if he heard Astrids thoughts "Damn dragons are never cooperative when it comes to their scales"

Astrid laughed "I bet, Lux never even lets me pull out the ones that are about to fall out on their own!"

The two laughed and chatted a little longer before Astrid turned to leave.

"Well thank you so much Gobber! It will mean a lot to Hiccup!" she said as she walked back towards the door signaling Toothless to follow.

"Always a pleasure Astrid" Gobber replied happily as she reached the door "I'm always willing to help!"

Astrid smiled and knew that Gobber was indeed always willing to help. He had never once turned her down when she had needed help. Whether it was with throwing an axe, perfecting her dive rolls, and now crafting items for their dragon friends, Gobber had always been around to offer his assistance. Astrid and Toothless left the blacksmiths shop and walked towards the Hofferson house hold.

"Hey Toothless, were just gonna go pick up Lux then we'll head over to training okay?"

Toothless made a sound in his throat to suggest he had no problems with the plan. Once at Astrid's home they found Lux patiently waiting for her Vikings return. The large blue Nadder sat regally on the front step.

"Oh you're such a ham" Astrid said playfully as she scratched her dragons chin.

The Nadder purred in pleasure and closed its large violet eyes. Lux was a little different from most Nadders, that was why Astrid had chosen her and the dragon knew it. Lux had the same blue color as the rest of the Nadders and the same general body structure. However the Nadder's eyes were a shade of purple while most Nadders had amber eyes. In addition to this Lux appeared to have no real blind spot which made her one in a million. The stripes and wings of the Nadder were also not gold as most Nadders were, they were a bright green and this made Lux stick out like a sore thumb in a crowd of Nadders. Astrid was happy hers was different because Nadders were definitely the most popular dragon on Berk.

"Alright you two" Astrid said looking first at Toothless then back to Lux "Lets get to Dragon Training!"

The two dragons eagerly followed Astrid towards the stadium. She knew she was late and that Hiccup was probably worried but she had a good reason.

"He's gonna be so surprised" she thought as her and her two dragon companions neared the arena.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright that's part one of Dragon Training! A couple things look different now hey? Ketzya has all the viking boys in a daze at first sight and she seems to like dragons. Astrid's Nadder is different? Well that's pretty cool, I'm sure there's a reason ;) Well next time Dragon Training will be continued so be ready for part 2! Don't forget to review guys! It helps me out and makes me want to keep writing, I'm sure you've heard it before! :P<br>**

**~GreenTeaa**


	7. Chapter 6: Dragon Training, Part 2

**Hey guys! Welcome back! A bit late in the weekly update sorry :P. really busy lately but here's the new chapter!**

* * *

><p>6: Dragon Training, Part 2<p>

As Astrid got closer to the training arena the sounds of dragons reached her ears. She smiled to herself as she walked.

"I wonder what Hiccup is teaching them today?" she asked herself.

It was the last week of training and it was the last day before the youths would fly from the Cliffs of First Flight. She looked behind her to see Toothless and Lux following a little ways off. Astrid rounded the last corner on the path and the arena came into sight.

"No no no!" Hiccup yelled "Ruffnut, Tuffnut stop fighting! Snotlout pay attention to the dragon! Not Ketzya!".

Snotlout gave Hiccup a dirty look Ketzya rolled her eyes at the comment. Fishlegs was learning the fastest. He had his Gronckle under control, flying straight, and he seemed calm. Hiccup turned his attention from Fishlegs just in time to see Tuffnut and Ruffnut speeding towards him as they were thrown from their Zippleback. Hiccup dove to the side just in time to avoid the twins. They landed in a screaming pile.

"You idiot let me steer!"

"You're the idiot! I was doing fine until you tried to steer!"

"Oh yeah!"

"Yeah you dumb sh..."

"GUYS!" Hiccup yelled, he was annoyed "Stop fighting with each other it doesn't help anything!"

The twins looked up from their scuffling. Hiccup rarely got angry but when he did, you listened. The twins had learned that much by being in Dragon Training. As the bickering siblings got off the ground Snotlout came flying off his Nightmare, he skidded along the ground as he landed.

"Wooooah! Watch out!" Fishlegs yelped as his Gronckle spun out of control and slammed the large Viking boy into the side of the arena. Hiccup closed his eyes and put his hand to his face.

"This is ridiculous... I need Astrid... She always makes things better..." he thought as he watched everything in the arena go wrong. Hiccup surveyed the scene in front of him. Fishlegs lying flat on his back, the twins still arguing with each other, and Snotlout running from his flaming Nightmare, it was a mess.

"But wait... Where is Ketzya?" Hiccup asked himself.

He turned around to see the girl flying her Nightmare with no problems. She was above the arena doing laps around the circular structure.  
>Hiccup was impressed with her as he watched happily.<p>

"Finally Astrid isn't the only one who will listen to what I have to say!"

The chaos that Astrid saw as she entered the arena was unbelievable, four Viking teens on the ground, Hiccup looking up at Snot...

"Wait... Snotlout was running around the arena from the Nightmare... So who was on the Nightmare that was still in the air?"

Astrid walked further into the arena. As she entered Hiccup turned and a huge smile came across his face. Astrid smiled back before looking to make sure Toothless was still outside the arena. She led Lux to one of the pens within the arena.

"Hey Astrid! Nice of you to show up!" Hiccup said jokingly.

"Well who really wants to come to your class anyways?" Astrid teased "Who's the Nightmare rider?"

"Oh... Um... Uhh her name... Uh her name is... Uh Ketzya." Hiccups tongue got tripped up as he talked.

Astrid gave him a quizzical look as the boy fumbled with his words. Usually that only happened when he talked about her.

"Oh whatever, not important" she thought.

Hiccup signaled Ketzya to come back down into the arena. Ketzya saw a new person had entered the training area. She made her decent back into the arena. She patted the Nightmare lovingly as they neared the ground.

"You are amazing!" Ketzya whispered into the dragon's ear. It flicked its head showing it's affection to the girl on its back.

The large dragon landed, softly for its size, next to Hiccup. Ketzya jumped from the Nightmare and landed gracefully beside the dragon. Ketzya looked at Astrid. Astrid stared back. The two girls narrowed their eyes slightly as their eyes met. Hiccup looked uncomfortably at the exchange.

"What is with girls?" he thought as he observed their behavior.

The girls let their eyes relax as Hiccup spoke. Astrid wasn't sure what it was but there was something strange about this girl.

"Astrid, Ketzya." Hiccup said making gestures from on girl the other "Ketzya, Astrid."

Both girls smiled at each other, both knew well they were only smiling for the sake of  
>Hiccup.<p>

"Ah good they're not going to kill each other" Hiccup thought relieved.

Suddenly Astrid turned away from Hiccup and Ketzya and walked towards the entrance of the arena. Hiccup started to follow but not before saying to Ketzya

"Heey uhh sorry about Astrid, she's been acting a little weird today."

"Not a problem" Ketzya said smiling at Hiccup.

Then Hiccup turned around fully and hurried after Astrid.

"Wait up!" he called as he reached the door. Hiccup berated himself as he stepped onto the path. "Damn it Hiccup" he thought "Why would you act so stupidly about Ketzya..."

As Hiccup rounded the corner he saw Astrid sitting with Toothless, she turned and smiled at Hiccup.

"Oh thank the gods, she's not mad" Hiccup thought as he relaxed and approached Astrid.

"Where were you today?" Hiccup asked as he stopped walking.

"Oh you know here and there" Astrid replied smiling playfully "I uh, have a surprise for you Hiccup!"

Hiccups heart jumped a little "Oh... You didn't have to Astrid!"

Astrid blushed a little "Well you know you've just been so busy... And you always do so much for me! So I uh got Gobber to um, help me out a bit."

Hiccup wondered what it could be. "Parts to a prosthetic? Armor?" his curiosity grew as he thought about what it could be.

"Toothless turn around please" Astrid asked putting her hands on the dragons head.

Toothless turned purring happily. Hiccups eyes widened as he saw Toothless' tail fin.

"Oh Astrid! How did you even know?" Hiccup asked.

Astrid looked down smiling "I kinda found the plans in your room when we were at your house one day. You had fallen asleep and I was going home and I knocked them off the table. I hope you like it!"

Hiccup lifted Astrid's head by her chin; he leaned forwards and planted a kiss on her lips. Astrid's heart fluttered at the feeling of Hiccups warm lips against hers. As they parted Hiccup quietly said "I love it! I'm so lucky to have such a beautiful caring girlfriend."

Astrid blushed at Hiccups flattery "Well I'm pretty lucky too. Why don't you try it out?" she said eagerly.

"How could I ever say no?" Hiccup replied.

Hiccup grabbed onto the saddle that was strapped on Toothless and he clambered up onto his back. Hiccup felt excitement surge through his body as he slid his metal foot into the device that worked Toothless' tail fin. He waved at Astrid to come up onto Toothless as well. She happily obliged and hauled herself up by grabbing Hiccups extended hand. She wrapped her arms tightly around Hiccups waist. Her heart pumped faster as she recalled the first flight they had shared on Toothless all those months ago. She felt Toothless moving beneath her preparing to take off.

"Ready?" Hiccup asked softly.

Astrid nodded and smiled at the boy she had come to care for so much. Hiccup smiled back before facing forwards.

"Okay bud, let's do this!" Hiccup exclaimed.

Toothless braced himself against the ground spread his wings and the pushed off. Hiccup loved flying, even more so when it was with Astrid. Toothless rose over the trees before Hiccup turned back towards the arena.

"I almost forgot about the others" Hiccup said to Astrid as he flew down towards the arena.

"I'm sure they didn't miss you too much!" Astrid replied.

Toothless slowly approached the ground. All eyes were on the Night Fury as he landed in the arena. The other Viking teens had been sitting in a group conversing between each other, Ketzya was clearly the center topic of conversation but she was the first to get up and rush towards Hiccup, Astrid, and Toothless.

"Wow" Ketzya exclaimed as she reached the dragon and his two riders "He's incredible!"

"Yeah he's something alright!" Hiccup said grinning.

Astrid hopped off Toothless "I bet you'd like to ride him" she said dryly as she went back to the pen in which she had left Lux. Hiccup didn't know what it was but it seemed Astrid really didn't like Ketzya.

"I'm sure it'll get better once they get to know each other" Hiccup thought.

"Alright guys one more practice flight, take it slowly and try not to get nervous! Fishlegs, you're doing really well and you're so close to getting it down! Ruffnut, Tuffnut, if you guys try not to fight you guys will have no problems! Snotlout, focus on the dragon okay? Easy as that and you'll be just fine! Ketzya you uh... Nothing really wrong you picked up really fast! Good work!" Hiccup smiled at each Viking as he critiqued them as nicely as possible. Astrid came out with Lux and brought the dragon over to the group. Hiccup gave her a feeble smile but she turned her head away. Hiccup sighed as he got back onto Toothless.

"Alright were gonna go for a practice ride, remember what I told you, and try and keep close!" Hiccup got comfortable on Toothless' saddle as the other Viking teens got onto their dragons. Hiccup looked back at his friends gave them a smile then took off. The other dragon riders followed suit taking off in unison. They fell into a line behind Hiccup as they flew over the arena and out over the ocean. Hiccup looked back and counted.

"Snotlout, check. Fishlegs, check. The twins check. Ketzya, check. Astrid, check."

As he turned forward Astrid came up beside him and Toothless. Hiccup looked over at Astrid as they flew side by side. Hiccup looked at Astrid sadly; he didn't know why she was mad he just knew she was.

"I'll ask her later." he thought.

He looked behind him again to make sure everyone was still flying. They were all there and all flying. Not perfectly but flying.

"Thank Odin" Hiccup thought "We can go to the Cliffs tomorrow and finish the training."

The sun was setting as the young Vikings ended their first flying excursion. As they landed back in the arena Astrid looked over at Hiccup. He was talking to Ketzya again, laughing as Hiccup helped her Nightmare back into one of the large pens.

"Stop being so stupid... He's your boyfriend, they're allowed to be friends..." she told herself.

Then why did she feel so jealous when he saw Hiccup talking to Ketzya. When she saw Hiccup laughing with the other girl her heart felt like it was being ripped from her chest. She didn't get why she felt like this.

"Hiccup probably doesn't think like this when he sees me with another guy..." she told herself to try and make herself feel better.

Hiccup looked back at Astrid; her eyes quickly looked down when he looked at her. Hiccup felt his heart drop a little, it hurt. He knew then why Astrid had been so distant during their flight today.

"She was jealous? Of Ketzya? But why? I'm HER boyfriend..." Hiccup sighed as thought "Odin knows I do the same when she talked to other guys..." Hiccup felt tears building behind his eyes.

"Hey uh go on without me Ketzya." Hiccup spoke as he watched Astrid walking Lux to one of the other pens.

"Alright! Oh hey, uh Hiccup?" she said as the boy turned away.

He winced as she called his name.

"Uh yeah?"

"Thanks for today! It was amazing!" she said smiling.

Hiccup smiled back but didn't answer as he turned. He needed to talk to Astrid. He looked over his shoulder one last time as he reached the pen Astrid hand gone into. Ketzya was still looking at him; her eyes softly gazed at him, the warm light from the sunset bounced from her hair making her dark red hair shine. Hiccup shook his head at himself then entered the pen which Astrid had gone into.

Astrid leaned against Lux; she wiped her eyes when she saw Hiccup enter. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying.

"Oh Astrid... I'm sorry!" Hiccup said softly as he slid down beside her "I was acting stupidly!"

Astrid curled up into Hiccup.

"Oh it's not your fault Hiccup. I was just jealous... Such a stupid thing to be jealous about..." she said sniffling.

Hiccup closed his eyes to try and hold back his own tears. "It's not stupid! It just shows how much you care! Honestly..." his voice shook as he spoke "I get the same way when I see you talking to Snotlout... Or any other guy for that matter." He bit his lip as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Hiccup looked down at Astrid. With the back of his hand he gently wiped away the tears from her face.

"You know?" he said smiling attempting to smile through his own tears "You're prettier than every other girl even when you're crying."

"You think?" she replied as she looked up at him. She saw his tears as he attempted to smile at her. That was Hiccup; even if he wasn't happy he'd always try and cheer her up.  
>"Hiccup, can you promise me something?" she asked, she felt her tears trickling down her face as she spoke.<p>

"Anything Astrid." he replied lovingly.

"When we feel like this." she said slowly "Jealous I mean, promise that you'll say something, and I promise that I will too."

"Okay, from now on, I promise" he said softly lowering his head to hers.

She felt his hand loop behind her back, his breath was warm on her head. She felt him shaking a little as he quietly cried next to her.

"I never want to be the reason you're crying Astrid! Never." he said, his voice was filled with sadness as he spoke.

She felt his tears now on her head as he shook. Her own tears ran salty trails down her cheeks before falling from her chin onto her knees. They sat in the dim dragon's pen as they cried together, Hiccup pulled her closer to him. She felt comforted as he held her. Lux behind them purred in an attempt to comfort the two teens. She saw Toothless sitting solemnly just outside the door as if standing guard. Hiccup spoke first breaking the heavy silence.

"Hey it's all gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay."

His words further comforted Astrid. She sniffled a little as she replied.

"I know Hiccup, I don't know why this hit me so hard... I mean I never ever cry..."

"It's not something to be ashamed of Astrid. It happens to even the strongest Vikings." he said with tone of understanding.

Astrid closed her eyes. He was right. Hiccup was the strongest Viking she knew. Maybe not in physical strength, but he had heart. The most heart of any of the Vikings in Berk for sure. She couldn't help but smile at this last thought.

"Hey there she is!" Hiccup said smiling as he wiped the tears off his face and then hers "You look better when you're smiling!"

Astrid laughed and playfully hit Hiccup in the arm.

"Hey! Careful with that!" Hiccup said jokingly "We should head back before my dad semis out a search party!"

"Alright" Astrid replied as Hiccup helped her up.

With their hands intertwined they exited the pen with Lux not far behind. Hiccup patted Toothless as they left the pen.

"Let's go bud, let's go home."

Astrid and Hiccup led the way from the arena their dragons close behind. They walked down the trail back towards the town. The sun had set and the forest became dark.

"Hey Hiccup?" Astrid asked quietly.

"Yeah?" the boy replied.

"Do you think I could stay over tonight? My house I pretty lonely since my parents are gone and all..."

"Oh uh, yeah for sure!"

Astrid's parents had been gone about two weeks on a hunting trip with some of the other Viking families. Astrid had stayed to train with him. It was the least he could do for her.

* * *

><p>Hiccup groaned as he rolled over. His bed wasn't extremely comfortable because of its small size. With two people on it, it was even more so. Astrid was still soundly asleep, he smiled as he looked at her. Her hair was down, this was only the second time he had seen her with it down. She looked so pretty. Astrid slowly opened her eyes and rolled over. She looked into Hiccups forest green eyes. Her heart filled with joy as he laced his finger through hers.<p>

"Hey we should get going" he said softly "Wouldn't wanna be late for the final lesson in Dragon Training!"

She laughed as Hiccup winked at her "Okay let's go dragon master" she winked back ad grinned.

The two of them went downstairs to find a not from Stoick and breakfast on the table. The note read:

"Hey you two love birds, make sure you eat before training today! Wouldn't want to be hungry today of all days!"

Hiccup and Astrid wolfed down their breakfast. Hiccup was worried they were gonna be late. He grabbed his gear and Astrid's before she had finished eating. He smiled as she came to the door.

"My lady" he said playfully as he bowed.

As he stood Hiccup wore a dorky smile as she took her gear from him. She laughed "Oh Hiccup!"

He opened the door for her and shut it behind him as he exited. Toothless and Lux were waiting patiently near the front of the large home. The two youths hopped onto their dragons and took off in the direction of where they had their first date. Astrid looked at Hiccup as they flew. He was slightly in front of her. He stood up slightly as he controlled Toothless' tail fin mechanism with his prosthetic which hooked in perfectly to the foot clamp. She admired her boyfriend's skill as he effortlessly performed a barrel roll on the back of his dragon. She wished she was riding with him at that moment. She liked Lux and she and the dragon had come to be good friends. Not quite as good of friends as Hiccup and Toothless but Astrid knew they'd get there. As the Cliffs of First Flight came into view they could see five dragons all with their riders sitting calmly in the saddles tied to the dragons back.

"Are you ready?"

Astrid jumped a little as Hiccup interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah, uh yeah."

This wouldn't be the first time that she had flown from the cliffs but Astrid needed to fly through them with the village elder present to successfully pass Dragon Training. She felt nervousness settle in and made her feel uneasy

"You'll do fine Astrid!" Hiccup encouraged as if sensing her discomfort.

"Thanks I'm sure you're right" she replied trying to smile.

The couple landed on the cliffs in front of the other five.

"You're a little late there Hiccup." Tuffnut teased.

"Oooo Astrid too!" Ruffnut added.

The other three couldn't help but smile at the twin's antics. Hiccup felt his cheeks flush a little at the remarks.

"Yeah yeah" he said "Are you guys ready for this?"

The teens all nodded at Hiccup.

"Good!"

All heads turned to see the village elder approach with Stoick and Gobber not far behind.

"Good luck to all of you and try to have some fun!" the elder said smiling. Her wrinkles were even more defined as she smiled.

The cliffs were a trial of passage to dragon riders due to the difficulty of navigating the tall rock formations that jutted from the sea. One small slip could end in disaster.

"Hiccup you will go first to demonstrate the course the rest of them are to take." Stoick said firmly "Once you've completed the course you will come back and take it once more after all the other riders to be sure no mishaps have happened."

Hiccup nodded solemnly. He looked at Astrid and smiled at her. She felt her nervousness diminish as Hiccup smiled at her. Before taking off he gave each teen a quick word of advice.

"Fish, stay calm and in control and you'll be fine!"

"Snotlout, try not to annoy Blaze too much..."

"Ruff, Tuff, keep the arguing to a minimum, you'll be fine. Also maybe take turns steering... That may keep the fighting down."

"Uhh Ketzya... How are you feeling about this?" Hiccup asked.

"Good I think? I'm a little nervous. You know it's only like my second day on a dragon."

Hiccup felt like that wasn't entirely true... No one just got on a dragon and could fly it. It was okay if the girl wanted to be secretive as long as no one got hurt because of it.

"Alright..." Hiccup replied hesitantly "Try to calm down before you go!"

"I'll try" she said smiling "Thanks for the advice Hiccup." Ketzya winked at Hiccup as he walked towards Astrid. He felt a strange heat rise from his neck at her gesture.

"Astrid, I know you'll do fine! You've been flying almost as much as me lately! Plus you've done this route before." Hiccup said this last part quietly. He didn't want to get Astrid in trouble... After all the students weren't allowed to go through here until their final test.

Hiccup felt satisfied as he mounted Toothless. He had faith that all the Viking youths would do fine. He settled into the saddle and prepared to do the route. Toothless growled in anticipation as they neared the edge of the cliff.

"Okay bud, let's go!"

Toothless jumped. Toothless kept his wing close to his body as they dropped. The first part of the course was designed to test the rider's ability to recover from dives and ability to stay in dives. Hiccup pushed the foot mechanism into gear and Toothless spread his wings. The two pulled out of the nose dive just a couple feet from the surface of the water. The next part was aimed at navigational abilities through the thick fog that held to the large rock formations like vines on trees. Hiccup easily navigated through the fog and came out between two large rock pillars. The last part of the course was to test the accuracy and combat abilities of both dragon and rider. Gobber had designed flexible dummies for the riders to hit with Thierry weapon of choice and had designed fireproof target to hit with a dragons fire. Hiccup hit each target and Toothless repeated the result. Toothless spread his wings and Hiccup switches his tail fin into position to go up. The pair flew straight up for a couple meters before completing a perfect flip and heading back to the start of the course. Hiccup enjoyed the wind through his hair as they finished the course more slowly than they had started. Although for the other Viking teens speed would count. Hiccup landed back on the cliff, his father nodded at him as he hopped off Toothless. Fishlegs was up next. As the Vikings completed the course one by one there seemed to be no issues. Hiccup looked on proudly as each rider and dragon landed back on the cliffs. Ketzya was last to go, Hiccup watched closely as she prepared to take off. The stance she took as she readied her dragon was not one of an inexperienced dragon rider. She was not sitting directly on the saddle and her right hand was on her weapon rather than the reins. Hiccup wondered just who exactly this girl really was. Not the simple fisher girl she wished the people  
>of Berk to think she was. As she took off Hiccup prepared to take his final lap. As they waited it became uncomfortably clear something was wrong. It had been almost 10 minutes which was almost double the time of all the other Vikings. Hiccup looked back at Stoick.<p>

"Go check son." Stoick said gruffly.

"Alright."

Hiccup took off towards the rock formations. If anything had went wrong it was there. Toothless wondered why Hiccup was so tense, this was routine right? As the cleared the fog Hiccup saw what was wrong. Ketzya had landed the Nightmare on a rock formation. They were looking at a boat. Not just any boat though. It was massive. Large enough to fit at least half of the boats that were docked in Berk. Hiccup landed next to Ketzya.

"What's happening?" he asked worriedly.

Her face had a strange look on it, a hateful look.

"That's the boat that attacked my village!" she sneered as she looked down at the massive boat.

"I have to tell my father!" Hiccup said worriedly.

He took off from the rock and headed back to the cliff front as fast as Toothless could take him.

* * *

><p><strong> Oh man exciting stuff! What does this boat and the people on board have in store for Berk! We'll soon find out I'm sure ;). And as always thanks for reading and please leave a review or comment :) <strong>

**~Greenteaa**


	8. Chapter 7: Fuel the Fire

**Hey guys welcome back! Sorry for the lateness of this chapter... I've been really busy with school and stuff... I'm sure you know how it is :P and I will be trying to release chapters on Thursdays now! So here's the start of that! But on with the story!  
><strong>

** So looks like some trouble is on the way for the inhabitants of Berk! I wonder what will happen with the boat? Now this chapter is kind of formatted funny but it's to try and show how hectic things are and everything that needs to happen in preparation for a battle! So I do hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>7: Fuel the Fire<p>

Hiccups heart raced as he neared the cliff. The ship was close to Berk and if it really was the ship that had laid waste to Íslenka then they were in trouble. Toothless landed and everyone stared as Hiccup frantically got off Toothless' back. Hiccup fell as he jumped from his dragon. A sharp pain shot through his leg. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and pushed himself up. He heard Ketzya land somewhere behind him as he approached his father panting.

"What's wrong Hiccup?" the large Viking chief inquired.

"The ship... The ship that attacked Íslenka... It's... It's out just beyond the rock towers!" Hiccup panted. He rested his hands on his good leg. The pain in his leg was intense. He swayed as he stood in front of the village chief.

"Are you sure?" Stoick asked sharply.

Before Hiccup could reply Ketzya was standing next to him.

"I'm absolutely positive. There's no mistaking that ship. We have to hurry. They WILL attack at night fall." she said forcefully "You have to be ready to fight."

Stoick nodded at the girl then looked to the elder and Gobber "We will warn the villagers. Evacuate the sick, young children, and the elderly. We must not risk them if there is a chance of conflict." he then turned his attention to the seven teens behind him "You will be ready to fight. Consider this your initiation into Viking-hood. Be cautious on your return into Berk. We must avoid causing unnecessary panic. If we can avoid alerting the ships occupants that we are aware of their presence we may gain an advantage. Gobber, escort the elder back, Ketzya with me. The rest of you aid in the evacuation."

They all nodded to show their understanding of the dire situation. Hiccup stood up straight and walked back to Toothless. Astrid looked at him as he mounted Toothless once more.

"He's so pale, he's overworked himself..." she thought to herself "Oh Hiccup..." she whispered.

Gobber had taken off down the path with the elder in tow. Stoick had taken Ketzya on the girls Nightmare. Hiccup slouched in the saddle on Toothless' back. The sinking feeling in his stomach returned. He looked towards the horizon. It was only midday yet Hiccup felt that the night to come would be one he would not soon forget. As he took off the other teens followed. Their return trip to the village was in solemn silence as everyone seemed to fully become aware of the events taking place. Even Snotlout had nothing to say. The twins were sitting in silence on their Zippleback, Fishlegs eyes looked fearful as his eyes flitted around nervously. Astrid sat straight up on Lux her face the picture of calm. However Hiccup could sense her tenseness. He himself felt sick. His stomach felt heavy and his head spun weirdly, probably a mix of pain and pure disbelief.

* * *

><p>"Enough!" Stoick slammed his massive hand down against the wooden table. The sound went off like a bomb bringing the room into silence "We cannot argue amongst ourselves while an imminent threat hangs over us!"<p>

The other Vikings nodded in agreement as they looked at their leader.

"We must prepare to fight! Spitelout I want you to set up a barrier, take ten men and start the work." Stoick said to the man next to him

Spitelout nodded in understanding. Spitelout signaled at a couple men to come with him and they left the meeting hall.

"Alright so Thrandle has given me some information on the ship and the people on board. They have a long range weapon its projectiles explode on impact. They have an infantry based fighting team which wear heavy plate armor, wield swords, and strange spears. They also appear to have dragon riders, at least four but no more than seven. We will have our own dragons in the air to match them. I will lead the ground force to counter their infantry. Gobber you will begin the evacuation. Then take a couple men and man the smithy. Aija set up a medic station we will need to have a medical center! Thrandle, Scrullnet come with me. Alright everyone let's get moving!"

* * *

><p>When the teens landed the village was already in full motion. A wall of deadly wooden spikes was being set up. The evacuation was almost done and Gobber had started stoking the furnaces. Hiccup hurried through the town toward his house. Astrid followed. The other Viking teens had gone to help their parents with preparations.<p>

"Hiccup WHAT happened in Íslenka? What's going on?"  
>Astrid asked she stopped walking and pulled Hiccups shoulder.<p>

He shrugged her off as he made his way up the hill to his house.

"Hiccup! Please! I'm scared..."

He stopped walking and lowered his gaze to the ground.

"Please Hiccup" Astrid pleaded "I thought I would be excited to actually get to fight... But I'm scared Hiccup... I don't want anything to happen to the village... To us..."

"There was an attack... A strange ship attacked and destroyed Íslenka. Ketzya, her father, and a handful of others were the only survivors. They were attacked at night and they were only saved because they were on a fishing trip and happened to return and save some of the villagers before it was too late for them." he leveled his breathing as he spoke "I'm scared too Astrid, but for the others we have to be strong. Lead by example my dad always says..."

Astrid felt her heart skip at his last words. Like it or not Hiccup was becoming more and more like the leader his father wanted him to be.

"And Astrid." Hiccup said turning to face her "Nothing. I mean absolutely nothing. Will ever come between us. I won't let it."

The scrawny boy who once was hated by everyone was becoming one of the best men Berk would ever know. Even though he looked weak and frail Astrid knew he meant what he said to her and he would fight for her no matter what it took.

"Okay." she said as she had come to the same realization when she had asked Hiccup about protecting Toothless when she had first met the dragon. When Hiccup was serious, he was dead serious and she knew nothing could stop him from what he was working towards.

Hiccup turned and winced. The pain in his leg was getting worse. He forced himself to keep moving towards his house. It would be the first time he had needed the armor he had kept hidden from everyone, Including Astrid.

"You should go get your battle gear Astrid." Hiccup said as they neared the top of the hill.

"Oh… Yeah you're right. I'll uh go do that." Astrid spoke slowly as she turned to leave. He felt distant.

As she stated to walk Astrid felt Hiccups hand grab her wrist.

"And Astrid... I... I..." He looked at his feet as if unsure of his next words.

Her heart jumped as he spoke. But before he finished he pulled her close and kissed her passionately. She closed her eyes as their lips met. She felt so safe. Like all her problems, all the problems in the world, melted away as they kissed. Hiccup pulled away first. He smiled shyly before turning and running up the hill to his house.

"What was he going to say?" Astrid thought. In her gut she knew but she didn't want to think about that, not yet.

She turned on her heel and ran back down the hill to her own house.

* * *

><p>Hiccup opened the door slowly. Everything seemed so unreal. The threat that the village was facing, him and Astrid, and all the attention he was getting. It had all become so blurred because it all happened so fast. He rubbed his stump as he closed the door. The only thing that brought everything back into perspective was Astrid though. She grounded him, kept him going, fighting. He would fight to the death to protect her he thought. He shook his head and tried to clear his mind.<p>

"Everything's such a mess..." he thought as he made his way up the stairs "I'll make it through it... Everyone will..."

Hiccup reached his room, the door was ajar. Hiccup frowned.

"I closed the door this morning before I left..." he thought.

He grabbed the hammer that was lying on the shelf next to the door.  
>He pushed his back up against the wall and inched towards the door. He saw light flickering from within.<p>

"A candle? What is going on" he said quietly.

Hiccup took a deep breath and kicked open the door.

"YAAAA!" he yelled as he entered.

"AHH!"

"AHHH!"

Hiccup jumped back the hammer fell from his hand and landed on his foot.

"OW! SHIT!"

"COULD YOU KNOCK? OH MY GOD!"

"I... I... I didn't know that..." Hiccup sputtered a stunned look was on his face.

Ketzya pulled her arms up to cover her exposed chest. Her face was bright red as was Hiccups. He backed up quickly eyes wide open as he exited his room and closed the door. Hiccup slumped against the wall and slid down it. He sat on the floor feeling stunned.

"I didn't just... No I didn't mean to... It's not my fault. Oh god  
>Oh god." his mind raced and his heart felt like it was beating out of his chest. Ketzya exited his room.<p>

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry! I didn't know." Hiccup said quickly without making eye contact with the girl in front of him. He searched the floor with his eyes trying to keep his gaze downwards.

"It's fine... Oh it's fine! I should've closed the door or something. Your father said I could use your room to change."

"I'm sorry" Hiccup repeated "No no it's fine I should've knocked."

He looked up at the girl. She was wearing a solid breastplate. It wasn't anything special just a metal breastplate, it was cut like her shirt. Low. Hiccup thought it was strange for armor to not cover the person fully. Her legs were covered in dark leather chaps with metal greaves strapped on top. From her belt hung two long curved swords and many knives lined her right leg.

"I would not want to meet you in a dark alley." Hiccup said feebly attempting to smile.

She smiled at him shyly and brushed her hair to the side.  
>"How about we don't tell anyone what happened tonight?"<p>

"Uh yeah... Yeah good idea." Hiccup agreed shakily.

"I've uh... Gotta get going, my dad's waiting." Ketzya said quietly.

"Oh yeah I uh... I have to get ready anyways. I'll uh... See you uh... later."

Ketzya smiled half-heartedly as she backed up towards the stairs. All the while she maintained eye contact with Hiccup. She turned as she reached the stairs and ran down them slamming the front door as she left.

Hiccup sighed as he entered his room. The candle was still burning and outside he could see the sun starting it's decent. Hiccup looked at his bed. Ketzya's clothes were piled neatly on top of his pillow. He sighed but made no attempt to move them. Hiccup moved to the chest that he kept in the space between his bed and the wall. He opened it slowly and removed its contents. He laid his custom armor onto his desk. A hardened leather breastplate, for mobility while providing good protection from arrows and other missiles that would be targeted at him while flying. Leather chaps again for mobility. Only one of the pant legs was full of course, the other leg ended at the knee to accommodate his prosthetic. Chain gloves for his hands and finally his helmet. Hiccup donned his armor and reached back into the chest for his sword. It wasn't too long but not too short. He had made it light so he could carry it and it would not weigh him down too much this was also why his armor was made of leather instead of metal. Hiccup tested the hidden blade on his prosthetic. In working order. He was ready. He left his room silently putting out the candle before closing the door. He slowly walked down the stairs back towards the front of the house. He took a quick look around before opening the door and stepping outside into the fading light.

* * *

><p>"Move! Nightfall is upon us! The preparations are almost complete! Don't slow down now!" Stoick bellowed orders as he helped build the barricade. "You, get me my battle-axe!"<p>

The younger Viking Stoick had addressed nodded and ran up the hill towards the blacksmiths.

"Gotta find Astrid" Hiccup thought as he rounded the corner. He slowed down as he passed a Viking running towards the smithy.  
>Hiccup looked down the hill towards the docks.<p>

Large wooded spikes jutted from the earth. Torch light dotted the shoreline. The sun was almost down. Hiccup jumped as someone's hand came down on his shoulder.

"Son". Stoick's low voice was quiet but clear "No matter what happens tonight, remember that I am so proud to call you my son."

Hiccup made an attempt to smile.

"Nothings gonna happen though dad... Right?"

"We can only hope for the best Hiccup... You know of something was to happen to me... Gobber would help you with the duties of being chief until you feel you are ready."

"Dad... Nothing like that's gonna happen!" Hiccup said. He felt a knot rising in his throat.

"We can never be too cautious son." Stoick's eyes softened as he looked at the boy.

"He sure has grown... But I fear that he isn't ready for the burdens that come with being chief... Odin guide us through this battle..." Stoick turned from his son as he thought.

"Hiccup, be strong and as always fight for your dreams!" Stoick added as he walked back down the hill.

Hiccup stood in solemn silence as he watched his father walk back towards the shore line.

"Nothing's gonna happen."  
>No matter how many times he said it, Hiccup still couldn't shake the feeling of dread that sat heavily within him.<p>

* * *

><p>Toothless waited patiently with Lux in front of Astrid's house. The large black dragon had reluctantly gone with Astrid and Lux as Hiccup had asked him. Toothless didn't know exactly what was going on but he could feel the Vikings nervousness. The air felt heavy to the dragon and everyone was on edge. Lux clearly felt it too as the Nadder uncomfortably shifted its weight from side to side. Toothless became restless waiting for the Viking girl. He walked in small circles as he continued to wait. Toothless' ears perked up as someone approached the house. The dragon stopped pacing and turned to look down the path. The figure drew closer and it didn't take long for Toothless to recognize Hiccup. The Night Fury excitedly scampered towards the boy. Toothless greeted his friend with a watery lick and a soft nudge. Hiccup returned the greeting by scratching between Toothless' ears.<p>

"Nice to see you too bud!" Hiccup said joyfully as the two interacted.

Toothless made a purring noise as the continued their greeting.

Astrid exited her house just in time to see the end of Hiccup and Toothless' exchange. She smiled as she led Lux towards the pair.  
>She had put on full armor and was carrying her favorite axe.<p>

"Hey you two goofballs!" Astrid said as she smiled at Hiccup.

Hiccup smiled back. Astrid made all his worries disappear. His sense of dread faded and a feeling of calm came over him.

"Are you ready?" he asked as the two terns stood together almost touching. He tentatively laced his fingers through Astrid's.

"As ready as I'm ever gonna be I guess..." she replied quietly.  
>"I'm scared Hiccup... So much more than I ever imagined. On the eve of battle I... I..."<p>

Hiccup put a finger to her lips  
>"I'm scared too Astrid... But... If we fight for what we believe in... Fight for... For what we love... We'll get through even the hardest times."<p>

Hiccup leaned into Astrid and kissed her. Their lips touched. Her lips were warm, his heart pumped faster as their lips met.

"He's grown so much..." she thought "He WILL be chief"

Astrid pulled away first. "We should meet the others." she said quietly.

Yeah... You're right let's get going."

The couple mounted their dragons and took off towards the mead hall where they were to meet the other teens.

* * *

><p>The moons reflection danced on the surface of the water. The cool blue light was dimmed as a heavy fog began to roll through Berk. The torch light flickered through the dense fog casting long shadows through the village. Every Viking was on edge, weapons ready and faces grim. No one spoke as they stood in the fog. Every person stood straight up at attention. Only the sound of water hitting the shore line could be heard.<p>

* * *

><p>Hiccup and Astrid arrived at the mead hall. The other Viking teens were waiting for them our front standing with their dragons.<p>

"Everyone must be scared" Astrid thought "Freya guide me, I'm terrified."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut sat silently side by side. Snotlout wore a grim look and Fishlegs' eyes were fearful and wide. Astrid tried to keep her composure as she neared the fearful bunch.

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked as she turned.

The boy was waking to the cliff to the right of the mead hall. A lone figure sat next to a Nightmare. Hiccup approached the figure.

"Ketzya... Are you alright?"

The pretty girl from the village of Íslenka sat solemnly on the edge of the cliff overlooking the water. She had flowers next to her. She held one in her hand spinning it between her finger tips before throwing it into the ocean.

"Ketz..."

"In my village" Ketzya cut Hiccup off "We honor those who died by throwing flowers into the ocean. So maybe they can see how we feel. That we still care... That... That we miss them."

Hiccup watched a tear slide down her cheek.

"I'm sorry..." he said softly

"For what, you have nothing to be sorry for" she replied in a rough tone as she stood and mounted the large dragon next to her.

"Whoever you lost must've meant a lot to you... I can't even imagine..." Hiccup half whispered.

"More than you can imagine..." Ketzya answered. She still gazed out at the ocean as she spoke.  
>"But I can't change what happened. I couldn't fight for what I loved... I couldn't even try..."<p>

"You fight for what you love every day. You have to keep going... Keep fighting for what you believe. For what you love." Hiccup encouraged.

"Everything I loved is gone Hiccup. I'm left with burning hate, bitter tears, and the need for revenge."

Hiccup opened his mouth but couldn't find any words. He looked down at his feet. He felt the crushing pain that Ketzya must've been feeling.

"What if I lost Astrid...? Or Toothless... Odin please let this end without too much pain..." Hiccup thought.

"They'll attack soon. They've made course for the docks" Ketzya's words were filled with malice "Tell your father. They'll attack at the docks first... And Hiccup" Ketzya turned to face him "Remember what you said to me always. Never forget the words you spoke." she handed Hiccup a small white flower and turned back towards the large boat.

Before Hiccup could answer she took off and disappeared into the thick fog.

"What was that all about?" Astrid asked when Hiccup returned.

"Uh... Nothing... But... They're here. We have to tell my dad." Hiccups face was serious. His eyes slanted and mouth pulled into a thin line. He turned and walked towards Toothless before anyone had answered.

"Look, I know you're all scared" Hiccup said as he strapped himself to the saddle on Toothless' back. "I am too. Terrified. But if we don't fight we might lose everything we've worked so hard for. Fight for what you love."

Astrid couldn't help but smile at Hiccups words. Though grim, they were inspiring. She felt her spirit lift and could tell the other teens felt the same.

"He's becoming a chief! "Astrid thought.

Hiccup opened his hand to look at the small white flower. He clenched his hand hard around it before sticking it into the inner pocket of his vest. He would hang onto it.

"As a reminder to protect what I love." he thought.

The friends saddled up and prepared to enter what would be their initiation into Viking-hood.

* * *

><p>Stoick looked apprehensively into the dense fog. He looked for any sign of movement. He heard a voice from behind him.<p>

"Dad, they're here. We saw them off the cliffs near the mead hall. Ketzya said they'll attack the docks first."

Hiccup was beginning to sound more like a leader Stoick thought.

"Alright son. You dragon riders get up there. Be our eyes. Send a signal when they're within sight of the docks. Use fire to signal us. It's hard to see anything else due to this damned fog."

Stoick scowled as he strained to see anything but flickering torch light and shadowy figures through the fog. He could see Hiccup in front of him and Gobber to his left but could see no one else clearly.

"Ahh err sir, what's... Ah... Err the plan of attack?" Gobber asked Stoick carefully.

"We'll have to try and get them off that ship. The fog might help. Use the fire to our advantage. Focus it in front of us. It may make them think we're smaller than we are."

"Clever" Hiccup thought.

"I'm going to get going dad."

"Aye son. Good luck and be careful!"

"I'll try" Hiccup said dryly.

The boy turned and took off on the Night Fury's back.

* * *

><p>Hiccup landed on a cliff high above the village. He could see the dense fog swirling in the valley below. The dock area was hidden by the swirling mist and it was nearly impossible to make out the buildings in the village.<p>

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup recognized Astrid's voice easily and turned to face her as she approached.

"Hey Hiccup..." she said with a tone of sadness in her voice.

"Hey Astrid... What's the matter?"

"Just... I'm... I'm scared... I don't want things here to change... And my parents are still gone... And what if... You know... What if I..."

"Shhh" Hiccup cut her off and hopped off Toothless, he grimaced as pain shot up his leg, he approached the pretty blonde "Don't worry yourself with things like that. We'll get through this Astrid. I promise!" Hiccup swallowed hard as he spoke the last words.  
>"I sure hope they will be" he thought.<p>

Astrid smiled half-heartedly "you always know what to say Hiccup."

She leaned forward brushing her bangs to the side as she quickly kissed the boy in front of her.

"Let's uh get going" She said looking from Hiccup to the cold rocky ground.

Hiccup nodded and followed Astrid towards the far side of the cliff. Toothless followed quietly behind.

The air was cold on the top of the cliffs. The moonlight lit the cliffs dimly. The shadows of the large pines looked like creeping fingers along the rocky plateau. The stars shone brightly, pin pricks of light that penetrated the thick darkness of the sky. Hiccup surveyed the area below him. The fog had become even denser and the dock area was now impossible to see. Hiccup looked at the teens in front of him. All quietly fearful but ready as they would ever be for what was to come. Ketzya was gone from the group. Hiccups stomach tightened as he began to speak.

"Well... It's been... Fun..." Hiccup smiled timidly at the group. They all returned the same timid smiles. "Un the past few months' things have changed... A lot. Mostly involving me... And of course the dragons... I've come to call you guys my friends and probably the best friends I'll ever have. Today we enter Viking hood together. Not exactly how I'd like to enter it... But nonetheless its how it's going to happen. I'm as scared as all of you... Probably a little more... My dad's relying on me... Well us to support the ground army however we can. I'm not sure exactly what it is we're going to be against but... We'll figure it out... Hopefully." Hiccup tried to make light of his last words as the teens stared silently at him. "So guys... We shou..."

"They're here" Fishlegs whispered cutting Hiccup off.

Hiccup turned to face the docks and all the other Viking teens neared the edge of the cliff to get a good view.

Rising from the thick white wisps of fog were two large mast poles. The sails were massive. Red cloth accented white characters. The ship flickered with light as it neared the village. The friends gasped as they took in the sight.

"So it begins..." Hiccup said quietly. He closed his eyes feeling his breath catch in his throat. He felt like crying.

"No time for that Hiccup" he thought "the others are counting on me..."

He clambered onto Toothless and the other teens followed suit mounting their respective dragons. Astrid looked at Hiccup with fearful eyes. He longed to hold her, to comfort her pain. But he couldn't, not now. The heavy feeling of dread returned to him as he turned to face the cliff.

"Viking-hood... Odin help us."

Hiccup took one last look back at his friend before dropping off the face of the cliff and taking to the air.

* * *

><p>The Vikings were still. They heard noises from the water.<p>

"Easy... Easy" Stoick whispered harshly "We can't give away our position... We still have the element of surprise!"

He searched desperately through the fog for any signal from Hiccup. "Are they here?" Stoick thought.

The fog covering the village had gotten worse and Stoick could hardly see Gobber next to him. A light snow had started to fall but this was the last of his worries at the moment. He had been through many battles but this one felt different to him. He didn't know what it was... But it felt strange. Unreal even. Stoick wondered if this was truly happening. He shook his head  
>"Come on Stoick focus yerself!" he berated himself as the strange thoughts went through his head. He turned his attention back towards the docks... Or what he thought was the docks. The thick fog made it hard to get a good sense of direction.<br>"There!" Gobber breathed out.

A flash of light, and another. Their enemy had hit land. Shouting could be heard from the docks. Stoick tightened his grip on the hammer he was carrying.

"Ready yourselves... Here they come!"

* * *

><p>The light fluffy snow that fell around the dragon riders wasn't a bother but the cold wind that came with it chilled the teens. The dragons of course would be fine but Hiccup felt a chill run through him as they flew.<br>Hiccup patted Toothless as the dragon let out the fire blasts that would signal his father the ship had landed. He scanned the skies for any sign of dragons or a sign of anything still he saw nothing. The others followed close behind Hiccup in a "V" formation. They circled high above the massive ship, high enough that no human eye could see them from the ship. Shouting was audible from below. Hiccup watched as the fog around the ship thinned as a large platform fell to the ground. Men began pouring off the ship. They looked like ants from the height they flew at but the tiny dots that were men were probably far from small. Hiccups attention was torn away when he heard a strange sound.

"What was that?" Snotlout said in a fearful tone.

"I don't..."

A ball of ice whipped past Hiccup and Toothless.

"What the fu... Whoa!"

Another ice chunk flew past. That's when Hiccup saw it. A dark outline silhouetted by the moon behind it. A large dragon flew in front of the young Vikings.

"Hello Hiccup."

* * *

><p><strong>Oh my! Who could know Hiccup's name? It's a mystery... Soon to be solved surely :P Anyways as always thanks for reading and please please leave a review! It really helps me out! Even if it's just a comment or maybe you have some suggestions or ideas for me! I open to anything :P Until next time!<strong>

**~GreenTeaa  
><strong>


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